How to remove your ex from a photo

To remove your ex from a photo for free, start with the eraser already on your phone: Clean Up in the iPhone Photos app, Magic Eraser in Google Photos, or Object Eraser on a Samsung Galaxy. They do well when your ex is small or off to one side. When they’re standing right next to you, or you have a whole album to fix, Remove Your Ex lets you describe who should go in your own words, without brushing around anyone.

The quick answer

• iPhone 15 Pro or newer: open the photo in Photos and use Clean Up.
• Google Photos on Android or iPhone: open the photo and use Magic Eraser.
• Samsung Galaxy: open the photo in Gallery and use Object Eraser.
• Your ex is right beside you, or you have lots of photos: upload up to 10 photos to Remove Your Ex, describe who to remove, and download the edits.

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Option 1: free tools already on your phone

All three built-in erasers work the same way. You open one photo, mark the person you want gone, and the app fills in the space behind them. The steps below come from each company’s own help pages, so they match what you’ll see on screen.

iPhone and iPad Clean Up

Clean Up is part of Apple Intelligence in the Photos app. According to Apple’s Clean Up requirements, you need an iPhone 16 model, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, or an iPad with A17 Pro or M1 and later, running iOS 18.1 or iPadOS 18.1 or later. It isn’t available in all languages or regions. These steps are from Apple’s iPhone User Guide:

1. Open the Photos app and open the photo.
2. Tap the Edit button.
3. Tap Tools, then tap Clean Up.
4. Tap, brush, or circle your ex. Photos may highlight some people or objects for you automatically.
5. If you see a Clean Up button, tap it.
6. Tap Done, then tap Done again to close the photo.

Changed your mind? Open the photo again, tap Edit, then Tools, then Clean Up, and tap Reset. There’s more on older iPhones, HEIC files, and saving edits in how to remove your ex from photos on iPhone.

Google Photos Magic Eraser

Magic Eraser lives in the Google Photos app. On Google’s editing page, it sits under Actions on Android and under Tools on iPhone. These steps follow Google Photos Help:

1. Open the Google Photos app and open the photo.
2. Tap Edit.
3. Open Actions (Tools on iPhone) and tap Magic Eraser. You can also search the editor for “Magic Eraser”.
4. Tap, circle, or brush over your ex.
5. Tap Erase, then tap Done.
6. Tap Save, or Save as copy to keep the original too.

On Android, Google says most editing features need at least 3 GB of RAM and Android 8.0 or later. Google is also rolling out Ask Photos, where you describe an edit in words, but it isn’t available in all regions yet.

Samsung Object Eraser

Galaxy phones have Object Eraser in the Gallery app. From Samsung’s support page:

1. Open the Gallery app and select the photo.
2. Tap the pencil icon to edit it.
3. Tap the three dots for more options.
4. Tap Object Eraser.
5. Highlight your ex, then tap Erase.
6. Tap Done, then tap Save.

Where free erasers struggle

Built-in erasers are designed for distractions: a stranger walking past, a trash can, a power line. An ex is rarely a distraction in the background. More often they’re front and center, shoulder to shoulder with you, smiling at the camera. A few things to expect:

• You mark the person yourself. Each tool asks you to tap, brush, or circle what should go. Around hair, hands, and shoulders, that takes patience.
• The fill can smear or warp. When the person takes up a big part of the photo, or overlaps you, the app has a lot of background to rebuild, and edges can look smudged.
• One photo at a time. You open, mark, and save each photo on its own, so a whole vacation means a lot of repeating yourself.
• Clean Up needs a supported device. If your iPhone doesn’t support Apple Intelligence, you won’t see it in Photos.

None of this makes the free tools bad. For a small figure at the edge of a photo, try them first. You lose nothing, and the original is easy to restore.

Option 2: remove your ex with Remove Your Ex

Remove Your Ex is made for the case the free erasers find hardest: the person standing right next to you. Instead of drawing around them, you say who should go.

1. Upload a photo. JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, or HEIC, up to 20 MB each. You can add up to 10 photos in one batch.
2. Describe who to remove. Say who should go in your own words, like “the man on the right in the blue jacket”.
3. Download the result. Save it when it’s ready. If it isn’t right, the second edit is free.

Here’s how it lines up against the limits above:

• Instead of brushing around them, you describe them. There’s no brush or mask.
• Instead of one photo at a time, you can upload up to 10 photos per batch.
• Each photo costs 1 credit, and that includes one free second edit if the first isn’t right.
• If an edit fails, the credit goes back to your account automatically.

Your originals and edits are stored privately for 90 days. There’s no subscription: you buy credits and use them when you need them.

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Got a specific photo in mind? There are focused guides on how to remove your ex-boyfriend from a photo, how to remove your ex-girlfriend from a photo, how to remove your ex-husband or ex-wife from photos, how to remove your ex from family photos, how to remove your ex from vacation photos, how to remove your ex from a photo for your dating profile, how to remove your ex from photos on iPhone, and how to remove your ex from group and wedding photos. Still deciding what to do with them? Read should you delete photos of your ex? To keep them out of your memories for now, see how to stop seeing your ex in photo memories. Comparing apps? Here’s the best app to remove a person from a photo.

Which option fits your photo?

Tips for a clean result

• Pick photos with a little space between you. When your ex isn’t overlapping you, there’s less to rebuild and the edges around you look cleaner. Arms around shoulders and heads touching are the hardest cases for any tool.
• Be specific when people overlap. If they’re pressed up against someone else, try “the man in the blue jacket” or “the taller person on the right”. Clothing and position are easier to spot than names.
• Use the free second edit. If something looks off, try again with a clearer description. It’s included in the credit you already used.
• Start with the photos you care about most. The trip, the birthday, the one where everyone was laughing. You don’t have to fix the whole camera roll in one evening.
• Keep the original somewhere. With free tools, use Save as copy where you can. Uploading a photo to Remove Your Ex doesn’t change the copy on your phone or computer.

Should you edit them out or delete the photo?

Deleting is quick, but it often takes more with it than one person. That photo might also hold the trip you planned for months, the friends who came to your birthday, or the dog at its silliest. Editing your ex out lets you keep those parts and let the rest go.

There’s no right answer. Some photos are easier to let go of, and that’s fine too. If you’re not sure, move them somewhere out of sight and decide later. The point isn’t to erase a chapter. It’s to keep what still feels like yours.

If you’d rather hide them for now, here’s how to hide, delete or edit photos of your ex.